i feel that rocker is used entirely too much throughout the shaping world, on both long and short boards. The Last four boards (2 long 2 short) I have had shaped have had a more mellow rocker, not flat, but about half the amount a typical thruster or perfomance longboard would have. The first few waves are a little strange because using your rails for speed and sharp turns takes some readjustment, but after a little while the thing becomes completely rippable. They accelerate and stall just as well, and tube ride just as nicely as my boards with heavy rocker. I am mostly referring to tail rocker but the same can be applied to nose rockers on longboards.
I need a board that can hit a head high lip directly vertical, then pivot off near the top and come straight back down, and not catch at the front foot area.
Mainly, I need a board that will make critical drops pointing straight ahead, so I can airdrop my fat butt at an angle, and still come out smiling.
Straighter rockered boards are better for front foot surfers surfing in point down the line spots, not care-ing to hit the lip, trim and tuck.
Speed…if you can pump, you can make any wave anyone on any other board can make.
i feel that rocker is used entirely too much throughout the shaping world, on both long and short boards. The Last four boards (2 long 2 short) I have had shaped have had a more mellow rocker, not flat, but about half the amount a typical thruster or perfomance longboard would have. The first few waves are a little strange because using your rails for speed and sharp turns takes some readjustment, but after a little while the thing becomes completely rippable. They accelerate and stall just as well, and tube ride just as nicely as my boards with heavy rocker. I am mostly referring to tail rocker but the same can be applied to nose rockers on longboards.
you think?
Well if you like to go straight and trim i guess its okay.
In 1980, when rockers were flat and wide points ahead of center, I built what are todays modern rockered boards for my team. They were not taken seriously by the other teams or riders, but Charlie Kuhn became the first east coaster to get into the world top 16 on these boards. Kurt Wilson, owner of XTRAK was instrumental in designing these boards and in one year became rookie of the year and #1 in the APS. Oh sure, they were called hyper-kicked, needle nosed, but 25 years later, the same rockers are still in place. The one place they fail is in sub knee high slop, where riding flat is the only option, as rail surfing is impossible
rocker like skirts and pants go through constant change in length and girth rocker from Hyper to hypo the flat goes straight and fast and the curvy goes swervy pick your poison and live your own imposed limits …Hip to flip the nose? doesnt nose ride for frijoles…the medium happiness track is truely ones own personal value judgement and evey change is a stoke booster,switching to somthing different after a term of riding the same stuff opens up the inner eye to the easter bunny fairyland inside the colored egg, [easter morning 1952 if you were there you know if you wernt you are in the dark and yes ambrose is truely flipped ]…in 1980 rockers wernt flat they were proportionately double if not tripple the rockers of 1968 and quadruple those of 1960 the real difference is added contour that is and will be the real evolutionary change in shape… the rail to rail lack of committed contour has yet to be collectively cracked by the general shaping body concious…the production aspect of flat rail to rail design dominates the evolution of the optimum shape like a twelve foot redhead in leather with a whip and the copy machines love her format because the margin for error/ failure is way reduced…lift to plane? fly to be free? we are all gravity refugees and as such we can only be satisfied with the reduced gravity rush …how long can you wait til your next drop in? an hour …three?..ambrose…there is only one conclusion every thing else is value judgements along the way,what a beautiful way,on a wave on the water planet…
OH YEA 1980 twin fins …go flat wow Lance ,M.R… corks reduce pearling rails dont sink well…dip a flipin the ink well and draw a startling parabolic arc … ambrose…slow sometimes fast othertimes. I’ll be ok …
she’s there in periforal vision every time i concave past 1/4’'---- honest doc shes theatenin’me right now from that corner from behind your philadendron LOOK OUT! … ALL RED heads are special…see porgy and bess,‘red headed woman’ … ambrose … the character Crown sets the record straight
Opinions vary in any subject,but with most discussions you can learn alot from looking at best and worst cases.
#case#1 a board with no rocker would paddle like a dream,catch alot of waves and be a tough turner.late drops would be harder,but possible.
case#2 (pposite)-- a board with four or five times the normal rocker will paddle like crap,struggle to catch waves,on a fast peeling wave you have more chance of falling behind the peak. but it would turn well ,mabey too well.
i tend to get boards with less rocker,i like the advantages,and with anough practice vertical(if thats what your into)is not as hard as you think.
in fact,if imon a fast low rocker board i get more speed for higher floaters.